5 Reasons for Reducing Sugar Intake

1. Sugar makes you fat

Scientists have found that sugar is addictive and stimulates the same pleasure centers of the brain as cocaine or heroin. Similar to these hard drugs, cutting sugar leads to withdrawal and cravings. In order to wean off this addiction, it requires a detox process just like the former.

When we eat too much sugar, our hunger and satiety hormones (leptin and ghrelin) which is responsible for informing the brain that we are full, do not work properly and we never feel full. Thus, the more sugar you eat, the hungrier you feel. This leads to overeating and weight gain. To make it worse, excessive fructose and sugars destroy your insulin and leptin sensitivity. This consequently results in your cells accumulating more fat, thus making it more difficult to get rid of the extra weight as well. So you see, staying within the calorie count is not the only thing you should be mindful of when losing weight. Reducing sugar intake is something to keep in mind too!

2. Sugar makes you look old

Reducing sugar intake cannot turn back time, but it can make you age more slowly. Sugar bonds with protein readily to form Advanced Glycation End-products, or AGEs. AGEs attack the fibres in collagen and elastin, which are the proteins that make your skin so smooth and firm. This in turn leads to skin wrinkles and sagging. Studies also suggest that excess sugar may also increase your risk of developing acne.

3. Sugar affects your health

Excess sugar is known to worsen inflammation. This in turn greatly affects our immune systems and reduces our ability to ward off infections, such as the flu and the common cold. That is because sugar hampers a type of white blood cells’ (phagocytes) ability to do their job, which is to engulf harmful bacteria. In addition, sugar raises blood pressure, which can compromise your immune system.

Sugar is made up of two molecules – glucose and fructose. Glucose can be metabolized by every cell in the body. However, fructose is different as only the liver can metabolize sugar. Excessive fructose and sugar intake could result in even a 12 year old developing fatty liver and needing a liver transplant! Excessive consumption of fructose and sugar beverages could result in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

4. Sugar is expensive

With UK introducing sugar tax, sugar is no longer cheap. By reducing sugar intake, you could save a decent sum spent on junk food, new wardrobe upsizes and those trips to the dentist and doctor. Moreover, your health insurance premium could rise if you are diagnosed with diabetes.

5. Sugar is the leading cause for Diabetes

Eating too much sugar over extended periods of time increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, where the cells in the body do not respond well to insulin, a hormone responsible for regulating blood glucose level. Absence of insulin will result in huge fluctuation of blood sugar levels which could lead to hyperglycemia.

Diabetes can be managed well but it can lead up to potential complications including heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, limb amputation, depression, anxiety and blindness. 1 in 8 Singaporeans is diagnosed with Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented with the right diet and exercise. Start eating right and reducing your sugar intake to reduce your risk today!